I think that the likelihood is VERY low that universities would step in to support the sports administration project tanks. The press is up in arms about this in Pennsylvania. Stories highlight that the $49 million buyout is the second-largest in college football history. Under the leadership of Neeli Bendapudi (one-time Fisher College marketing professor), Penn State has been on a cost-cutting campaign that includes the closure of seven branch campuses, due to enrollment and financial challenges. The buyout has inflamed prominent faculty criticism of the University's misplaced priorities, especially given recent budget cuts to campuses and Bendapudi's own recent 47% pay raise. Critics argue the $50 million could have supported struggling campuses, students, and local communities, bringing the disconnect between University financial decisions and the needs of students and staff into the spotlight.
A storm that will disappear? Maybe, but as student fees go up and faculty research funds are impacted already in the politics of the time, there may be another storm brewing.